


Captain Lame

by OrangeyApples



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, the first years are third years, yamaguchi is crying guys, yamaguchi is the best captain
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-04
Updated: 2018-04-04
Packaged: 2019-04-18 10:54:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14211612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OrangeyApples/pseuds/OrangeyApples
Summary: What happens when you lead your team to abrupt failure?





	Captain Lame

**Author's Note:**

> Wow I haven't posted here in a long time. In the future I'll be putting more of my works here, so I hope you enjoy! Even if things are a little different in taste than they were four years ago. In the meantime let's start with this darling little piece, huh?

Stepping out into the calm atmosphere outside of the gymnasium was good for soothing the nerves of the exhausted team. As soon as Yamaguchi stepped outside he allowed himself to relax. They'd left the war zone of the court --- he still had to acclimate to that world --- and it was time to tend to their wounds.

Looking at his team, the third year could feel their disappointment, as well as their frustration. A defeat against a foreign team was never easy to swallow, especially if the school in question had been a former cupcake school, who lost in the first stretches of their tournaments. Now, though, they'd be going further than the teams before them had ever gone.

Idly, Yamaguchi wondered what they were feeling right now. They were probably unwinding after the taxing game, too, but hopefully they were all staying focused. After all, they had one more game before the day ended. The captain pulled his jacket tighter, zipping it up promptly.

He would do anything to be where they were right now.

Eventually the team of crows were all brought together on the steps leading up to the building. A few groups of students and admirers alike were going around the group, eager to get in before the last match of tournament began. For the most part the freckled middle blocker ignored them, listening to what Coach Ukai had to say. He recognized this speech --- it was, more or less, the one they'd heard in their first year when they first lost to Bluecastle. The other third years seemed to recognize it too, judging by the way they stared at their shoes. He could already see tears in Hinata's eyes as the little ginger clutched his shorts.

A gentle hand on Yamaguchi's shoulder alerted him to the presence of Suga, Daichi and Ennoshita. The trio all wore careful but warm smiles, as if they weren't quite sure what to say about the game they just watched. It made the captain's chest tighten, but he still managed to smile back at them, nodding a little as they left. They all knew how important it was to keep from interrupting these sorts of meetings.

A part of Yamaguchi wanted them to interrupt, though. They could leave the team with words of wisdom, and motivation to work harder next year. The captains before him had been pretty good at that. In comparison, he couldn't help but feel inferior.

The freckled captain, in his daze, floated onto the bus that would take them home one game too early. Glancing past Tsukishima --- his best friend was wearing his headphones in an attempt to sleep probably --- Yamaguchi could see the warm colors of the sunset painted on the flitting landscape. The world was still peaceful, ignoring the despair in the bus that evening. It would be a long bus ride of regrets, wouldn't it?

"Yamaguchi-senpai?" The soft hesitant voice snapped him effectively out of his thoughts. He blinked at the nervous Koizumi Tozen, a first year setter that had poked his head over his seat, turning to look back at his captain. "Um...I'm, sorry for messing up so much on the court today."

His storm of thoughts temporarily cleared as he smiled at his kouhai. "There's no need to be sorry; you did great for your first official game. It must've been pretty scary, huh?"

"Really scary!!" Koizumi seemed to relax a little, resting his chin on top of his chair. "It was like an entirely different atmosphere in there...I'm glad Kageyama-senpai came back when he did --- I thought I was gonna be cooked alive out there!!"

The setter watched in confusion as his captain laughed. "You know, I thought the same thing during my first game," he said. "Everything was so much more...intense on the court, even if I was just serving. It was exciting, wasn't it?"

"Well....yeah, but --- we lost."

"And? That just means that you work extra hard for your next game." Yamaguchi leaned back a little. "You need to be good --- really good, if you want to truly have fun in a competition. I'm sure you'll be one of Karasuno's best setters if you just practice. Don't sweat it, okay?"

Koizumi's eyes widened at his captain's words, before nodding in determination. "Okay!! I'll work hard, so that you'll be proud of me when you watch us next year! Th-that is," he added meekly, "if you want to---"

"I'll be there, Koizumi. So you better practice hard."

With a prompt 'yessir!!' the first year turned back around to sit down before one of the adults saw him. Yamaguchi sighed softly as he closed his eyes. He saw so much of himself in the setter --- a nervous boy with average talent, wanting to get stronger and better. He'd definitely have to work hard to fill the gap of a prodigy when Kageyama was gone. If he kept up communication with his teammates, though, the freckled captain was sure that he'd be fine.

Maybe they'd get farther in the years to come, remembering this sorry loss.

When they finally got to the school, the sun had already set. Wordlessly the team filed out of the bus, bags heavy as they began heading home. Yamaguchi could feel the unsettling waves of unspoken frustration brush against him as Hinata and Kageyama passed him. It was most likely that tomorrow at school they'd resolve whatever tension was between them, but even still...

"Kageyama. Hinata."

Both third years looked back at their captain, who grinned a little. "Don't overexert yourselves, okay?"

He wasn't sure how much of a difference that would make, but at the moment the pair seemed to consider it. In unison they nodded at Yamaguchi, before looking at each other with another nod. They turned to go their separate ways in sync too.

How were they so different, yet so similar? They were two monsters, who were definitely not done with volleyball yet. They would get a chance to redeem themselves, and they would do that. Time and time again.

Walking home with Tsukishima was a quiet ordeal. Yamaguchi did his best to make small talk, like he usually did, but he didn't have enough energy to combat the blonde's hums of response. The storm of thoughts seemed to be brewing above his head again, keeping his gaze on his shoes as they walked.

"Yamaguchi."

Promptly the captain stopped, turning to look at Tsukishima. He hadn't noticed that his friend had stopped walking. The middle blocker nodded his head to the intersecting street, eyebrow raised. "Isn't your house over there?"

"O-oh, right!! Sorry Tsukki."

With a start the freckled boy hurried down the street, not meeting his friend's gaze.

Home smelled like home-cooked dinner. Yamaguchi smiled at his father, helping himself to a serving before leaving for his room wordlessly. He could finally let himself unwind in the safety of his bedroom.

For a moment all that could be heard was the clinking of bobby pins as Yamaguchi pulled them out, setting them on his dresser. His shoulder-length hair felt greasy when he took it out of its ponytail. He'd have to shower before bed, maybe that would help him feel better.

When he caught sight of himself in the long mirror on his closet door, the freckled captain paused. He let himself fall into the feelings he had kept at bay all evening. With a hitching breath he grabbed onto his blanket, wrapping it around himself as he felt a cry coming on. What a lame way to end his third year...

"Whatever you do, don't stop communicating." Yamaguchi heard his voice before noticing Tsukishima leaning against the doorway in the doorway. "Isn't that what you're always saying?"

The freckled captain sniffled, wiping his face on his sleeve. He pulled his blanket tighter around himself as the middle blocker walked further into his room.

"I'm --- I'm sorry, Tsukki...you...we all wanted to win, I could feel it, and yet, I couldn't...get us there. That's what I'm supposed to do as a captain, right?" He didn't look up at his friend as the taller boy walked around to stand in front of him. Once he started, it was hard to stop him.

"Daichi did it. Ennoshita did it. They brought the team to victory, to a happy ending...they made everyone feel happy...and I just --- I j-just dropped the ball, didn't I?"

Weakly he rested his head against Tsukishima's stomach. His voice was thick with tears as he continued, a sad little blanket ball of a captain now.

"Is this all I'm gonna be known for? Am I just the guy who always loses? I worked s, so...hard, to get where I am, but it still wasn't enough. That's lamer than not even trying, than not even caring. They'll, th-they'll call me, Captain Lame-aguchi---"

Abruptly, Yamaguchi's blubbering was cut off. He felt cold hands grab his face, cheeks and lips squished into a fish-like expression as Tsukishima lifted his head to look up into his golden gaze. For a moment the middle blocker studied him before humming a little.

"Huh. I wasn't totally sure, but if you believe all of that, you must've gone back to being lame."

Yamaguchi was silent for a moment, looking away again as his brow furrowed to match the fish-pout.

"We wood'ff won ff Kah'gyama waff cap'n," he mumbled, which vaguely translated into 'we would've won if Kageyama was captain'.

"No, you wouldn't have. If the King became captain I would quit volleyball." The middle blocker let go of his freckled friend, sitting down beside him. "Didn't you learn anything from the other captains? I thought you mentioned being in a group chat with them." He paused for a sigh.

"A good captain knows how to talk to their teammates, to make sure one little loss doesn't tear them apart. Turning that around saves morale. Encouraging first years, keeping third years in check --- it's much more important than a win."

Yamaguchi leaned against Tsukishima, sniffling again. "But...that was my last game. I'm not --- playing volleyball after high school, y'know? I'm not good enough for that. It's lame that it had to end with us losing."

"You take pride in all those stupid hours of work you put into something. We didn't lose because we didn't practice --- god no. We lost because one team's best was better than ours. That's all there is to it."

Yamaguchi glanced up at Tsukishima, watching him carefully. He wiped his eyes again with a smile as he sat up a little. God...he was going to miss this guy.

Successfully soothed, the captain pressed a quick kiss to his friend's cheek.

"Thank you, Tsukki."


End file.
